CFP «Cinema e Storia» n. 1/2018
*From Public to Private. The History and Histories of Audiences in the Global Era*
Special issue, edited by Mariagrazia Fanchi & Damiano Garofalo
Deadline: March 31, 2017
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The study of cinema audiences has always been considered as an ancillary area of interest: marginalized and considered to be a trivial subject, and in any case easily studied through text-centric analysis (the spectator as a semiotic construction), a marketing system approach (the spectator as the final result of film industry strategies), or as an outcome of political propaganda operations (the spectator as a tool of consensus). Moving away from this marginal position, in the last few years the study of cinema audiences has obtained a new relevance, assuming a particular significance thanks to the several multidisciplinary investigations of social and cultural history, such as the history of consumption, the history of tastes and, above all, the history of cinema and TV audiences.
Several causes have contributed to this recent renewal: the birth of European associations that are devoted specifically to cinema audiences (e.g. HOMER, but also the “Audience” workgroup in NECS) has energized researches in this sense; the shift in focus towards non-Western audiences, has led to the emergence of of a new World History approach and the post-colonial perspective; experiments in new instruments from experimental psychology and statistical sciences (big datas) have contributed, as has the upgrading of traditional media historiography to include archaeological or oral-historical approaches. This positive circumstance has driven a reprise of the historiographical reflection on audiences, and the expansion of studies and projects (among others, the Italian Cinema Audiences project, launched by a pool of British Universities).
Beginning with this new perspective, it is necessary to enlarge our frame of work and to adopt a wide and inclusive approach to media consumption, to include cinema, TV and visual and audiovisual experiences broadly. The study of audiences necessitates an intermedial and multidisciplinary approach in order to encompass the complexity of media experiences: the plethora of forms that this assumes (and assumed), their changes through space and time, the multiplicity of connections to cultural, social, economic and identity processes. The challenge is to legitimate audience as essential field of investigation within film, media, communication studies, and, at the same time, to adopt audiences as a historical source in a wider sense.
Reflecting on these topics and following this line, the «Cinema e Storia» Journal aims to focus its following issue (1/2018) to history of cinema audiences. We welcome essays that address (though are not limited to) the following topics:
• Cinema audiences and historiographical questions;
• New approaches of cinema audience history: methods, frames, designs;
• Cinema audiences and microhistory (biographical, genealogical, communitarian histories);
• Cinema audiences and cultural consumption;
• Cinema audiences and production studies;
• Cinema audience, sociability and social processes;
• The history of reception (movies, stars, genres...);
• Fandom and stardom;
• History and identity construction (gender, generational, sexual social, cultural, political, national identities);
• Histories of movie theatres; histories of movie-going and urban spaces;
• Histories of cinema audiences and World History;
• Neuroscientific histories of audiences;
• Media debates and media representations of movie-goers, movie-going and cinema experiences.
To propose an article please send an abstract and short biographical note to the address redazione@cinemaestoria.it by March 31, 2017.
Abstracts must be between 200 and 250 words, and may be presented in English or Italian, although completed articles must be in Italian - proofreading will be guaranteed by “Cinema e Storia” editorial board.
The proposal should include: five key-words, names of author(s), institution(s) and contact details (email, telephone), together with a short bio for each author.
If the proposal is accepted, the author/s will be asked to send the complete article to the same e-mail address by July 31, 2017. Contributions will be sent to two independent reviewers in a double-blind peer review process prior to the final publication decision. Authors may be requested to change or improve their articles if suggested by reviewers.
Articles should be between 4,000-5,000 words in length (no more than 35,000 characters, spaces and notes included), but shorter articles will be also considered.
For info, please send an email to:
mariagrazia.fanchi@unicatt.it and/or damiano.garofalo@uniroma1.it
For the Italian version of the call, please see:
